Invest in Nursing allows students to work in rural, underserved areas

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article used an incorrect title for associate professor Megan Williams. Also, the Invest in Nursing Program received the award from the Health Resources and Service Administration in May 2018. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for these errors.

The Invest in Nursing Program, a project based out of the UNC School of Nursing, is designed to help develop the current and future nursing workforce in primary care settings.

In May 2018, associate professor Megan Williams received a nearly $2.4 million award from the Health Resources and Service Administration to fund the program and its partnership with Piedmont Health Services. 

Participants in the four-year program include School of Nursing faculty, baccalaureate nursing students and currently practicing registered nurses. They work in rural and underserved areas throughout N.C. to implement evidence-based care models in communities. 

“This program really shows the other side of nursing and how nurses can really get involved in the community,” said Kasey Gamble, a senior B.S. in nursing student. “I also really enjoy the mentorship that the Invest in Nursing team members give to the scholars because they are trying to make sure they are set up for success and can succeed after graduation.”

With the grant, the project includes a redesigned B.S. in nursing curriculum that will expose students to other environments and styles of care besides the regular hospital acute care setting. 

Williams said they want to be able to train registered nurses so they can enter acute care settings, as well as getting them ready to enter the workforce in primary care and community-based rural settings. 

“In North Carolina, our rural and underserved areas are areas that nurses can really lead and have an impact on communities, so it’s really exciting for the School of Nursing — especially at Chapel Hill — to be taking a lead on this and preparing nurses,” Williams said. 

Another mission of the program is to give recruited students longitudinal clinical training experience. This aspect of the program allows students to spend three semesters of experience in different care settings, so they can develop the knowledge and skills needed to work in these settings in the future. 

Current students in the program started this past summer, working with underserved communities and providing care to families. 

Through the program, Gamble worked at the Carrboro Community Health Center under staff members to help people such as immigrants, refugees and the disabled population. 

The program encourages students to seek internships or jobs during the summer where they can work closely with medical assistants, physicians and other medical operators. 

Erica Johnson, a senior nursing student, said she has learned a lot about how a clinic functions and what nurses' main roles are. 

This semester, Johnson — along with other students in the program — work at the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly between two locations in Pittsboro and Burlington. Johnson said the PACE center is comprised of a day center, physical therapy and rehabilitation center as well as a day clinic. 

The academic practice partnership that comes with the grant is meant as a way to advance nursing students' practice, so they can lead change in the public health sector. 

“The drive to care for other people and be able to empower others to understand their body and health is really rewarding," senior BSN student Suzie Crothers said. 

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